Golly! Jim Nabors marries male partner of 38 years

January 30, 2013|By Hal Boedeker, Staff writer

Golly, as Gomer Pyle used to say.

Jim Nabors, who made Gomer a beloved TV figure in the 1960s, has married his male partner of 38 years. Nabors and Stan Cadwallader traveled to Seattle, where gay marriage is legal, to wed Jan. 15, according to Hawaii News Now.

Nabors, 82, and Cadwallader, a former firefighter who is 64, met in 1975. They live in Honolulu.

For those who don't remember, Nabors became a star as Gomer on "The Andy Griffith Show" and graduated to "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C," a CBS spinoff that ran from 1964 to 1970. "Gomer Pyle" was a Top 10 hit. Gomer was a goofy but lovable Marine whose famous sayings included "surprise, surprise, surprise," "shame, shame, shame" and "shazam!"

Nabors' wonderful singing won him more fans, and he headlined "The Jim Nabors Hour," a variety series that ran two seasons on CBS. He was also Carol Burnett's good-luck charm and appeared on each season premiere of her CBS variety series, which ran 11 seasons.

Nabors told Hawaii News Now that he had been out to co-workers and friends and wanted to solidify his relationship with the marriage.

What can a fan say? Why, shazam! And much happiness to Mr. Nabors, who has brought happiness to millions for decades.